Easy Mini Lemon Curd Cheesecakes
These mini lemon cheesecakes might just be one of my favorite desserts of all time. They have crumbly graham cracker crust, lemon-scented cream cheese filling, and super creamy homemade lemon curd on top. This dessert is also make-ahead and only takes 25 minutes of actual hands-on work. So much easier than a traditional cheesecake!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled (86 grams)
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (132 grams)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest (12 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28 grams)
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (454 grams)
- 2/3 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (152 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (15 milliliters)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup Meyer lemon curd or store-bought (240 grams)
Equipment
- Food processor or rolling pin
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mini cheesecake pan or standard cupcake pan with paper liners
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). If you're using a cupcake pan, line the cups with paper liners. (See the Recipe Notes for more details on using a standard cupcake pan.)
- Add the graham cracker sheets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have finely ground crumbs. You should have around 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (148 grams). Add the sugar and melted butter, and pulse the mixture until the crust is thick and sticks together.
- Evenly divide the graham cracker mixture into the mini cheesecake cups, about 2 Tablespoons per cup (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Using a pastry tamper or the handle of a wooden spoon, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the crusts are set and golden-brown. Let the crusts cool completely while you prepare the filling.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Fill an oven-safe pan (like a small cake pan) with a few inches of water. Set aside.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the sugar and lemon zest together until it smells fragrant and the lemon zest has released its oils, 30-60 seconds. Then, beat in the butter - the mixture will be grainy. Add the cream cheese and beat until it's light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla bean paste. Add the eggs and beat just until the filling is well-combined.
- Using a #20 cookie scoop, evenly divide the filling between the cooled crusts, about 3 Tablespoons per cup (or 2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Use a butter knife to smooth the filling evenly over the crusts, making sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
- Place the mini cheesecake pan (or cupcake pan) on the middle rack of the oven and set the pan of water on the rack under the mini cheesecakes. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 15-16 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit wobbly (but not liquid-y). If they're not done after 16 minutes, bake them for another 1-3 minutes, as needed.
- Once the cheesecakes are baked, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the mini cheesecakes cool in the oven for 30-60 minutes to keep the tops from cracking. Then, cover the pan and refrigerate the cheesecakes for another 2-4 hours or until the filling is completely set. Right before serving, top each cheesecake with about 1 Tablespoon (20 grams) of lemon curd. Enjoy!
Notes
For the best results, I always recommend weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale instead of using measuring cups.
If you don't have a food processor, you can also place the graham crackers in a zipper bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Then, mix the crust together by hand in a large mixing bowl.
If you’re using a cupcake pan, you will end up with about 16-18 mini cheesecakes. Start checking for doneness around 14 minutes.
Take the cheesecakes out of the fridge about about 20-30 minutes before serving so they have time to warm up just a little.
Serving: 1cheesecake, Calories: 395kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 255mg, Potassium: 103mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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